Out and About

It's just so great to be home!  One of the best things about being home is being able to come and go as you please.  And with Brendan's blood counts up this week he wants to get out before they drop again.

This morning Aaron had his Parent Teacher conference at school and Brendan was so excited to go back to the elementary school to see his teachers and friends from last year.

These teachers and students and staff have been so supportive of Brendan and have given him the encouragement he's needed as he has faced his battles.  I can't even express how much it meant to Brendan to see everyone who has meant so much to him!  It made his whole day -- maybe his whole life!

 This afternoon were more blood draws.  It's all pretty routine now.

 Brendan is a little discouraged that he's not losing his hair very fast.  He's gone from not wanting to lose his hair -- to wanting to be bald.  With only two chemo treatments left, he's afraid his hair isn't going to fall out.  After four rounds of chemo, I'm beginning to wonder too.  It seems like every time it starts to fall out, the rest just starts growing in faster.  He has lost most of his bottom eyelashes, though, and the top lashes are thinning.

Some fun at his cousin's house also made his day.  He begged and begged to go.  After being cooped up in the hospital all week, he just wants to get out and be with others.  (Thanks, Travis, for the cool pictures!)

Tonight Brendan is enjoying the BYU basketball game with his dad (and helping himself to a little extra food).  

Once again, coming home seems to make everything better.  Brendan doesn't seem to need nausea medication here.  All of this running up and down stairs and playing with siblings and cousins is not considered exercise or physical therapy.  And I didn't hear any complaining about showering and oral care. Life seems pretty easy when it's just life and not a treatment.

But the reason it seems so good is the contrast.  Visiting school is no big deal if you are there every day.  It only means a lot when you aren't sure when you'll ever get back.

Home is a great place to be when sodium levels are normal and you're feeling pretty good.  But there is no place I'd rather be than PICU when Brendan's sodium levels are dangerously low.  Or in the ICS unit when chemotherapy is being administered and every milliliter of fluid going in and coming out has to be measured and charted.  (Keep working on math if you want to go into health care -- you'll need it!)

Yeah, it's great to be home -- and we love it when Brendan's well enough to be home!